Toy builders



Feb. 11, 1 930. 0, MAIN ET AL TOY BUILDERS Filed March 13, 1929 MAWi/orzzeza Patented Feb; 11, 1930.

UNITED STATES PATENT ol-rlca 0134 E. MAIN AND LAFAYETTE Ii. SMELSEB, 01OSKALOOQA, IOWA, ASSIGNOBQ TO MAIN TOY COMPANY, OF OSKALOOSA, IOWA, A.CORPORATION OF IOWA.

TOY BUILDERS Application filed March 13,

* Our invention relates to a set of toy builders composed of a pluralityof different kinds of blocks or pieces, from which a large variety offigures representing human beings, dolls, animals and birds may beconstructed.

The principal object of our invention is to provide an improved set oftoy builders which is both interesting and instructive in character.

A further object is to provide a toy builder set composed of a bodymember, a number of head members and a considerable number of like limbmembers interchangeably usable with the body and head members, whereby agreat variety of figures may be constructed to represent real orimaginary persons, animals or birds.

Still another object is to provide improved means for selectivelyconnecting various parts of the builder set by means of ball-pinmembers.

:Another and further object is to provide an improved construction for aseparable articulated joint between two limb members, whereby saidmembers may be readily connected and disconnected and may be placed in avariety of selected relative positions.

More specifically, our object is to provide an improved joint connectionbetween two members, each having at one end a ball and reduced neck andat the other end a socket to receive the ball and formed with laterallyopening notches to receivethe neck and permit relative articulation ofthe members at desired angles, the sockets terminating in kerfs whichafford a yielding gripping action of the sockets relative to the balls.

With these and other objects in view our invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement andcombination of the various parts of thedevice, whereby the ob'ects contemplated are attained, as hereina termore fully set forth, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated by theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a figure of a doll which ma be constructedby using our improved toy uilder set. c

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a figure of an animal whichmay beconstruct- 1929. Serial No. 846,702.

head member included in the set.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a bird head mem er.

Figure 7 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the limb members.

Figure 8 is an end view of the same.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of a ball-pin connecting member.

Figure 10 is an elevation, partly in section, illustrating the method ofseparably connecting two of the limb members by means of a special balland socket joint.

The various parts of our toy builder sets preferably are made of woodand they may of course be of any desired size or shape and may bepainted or otherwise decorated in any suitable manner. In carrying outour invention we employ a body member 12, which preferably is generallycylindrical in shape. As here shown the body member 12 is of universalcharacter or in other words it may be used in construction of figuresrepresenting human beings, animals or birds. It is to be understood,however, that different body members may be employed as desired forvarious kinds of figures or toys.

The body member 12 is formed'with a plurality of openings or bores ofthe same diam eter and these openings may be arranged in variouspositions or locations. For instance an opening or bore 14 may beprovided centrallyand axially of one end of the body to serve as a meansfor supporting the head and a pair of openings or bores 16 may be formedat the other end of the body for the purpose of supporting leg members.Furthermore, a plurality of openings or bores 18 may be formed ondiagonal lines for the purpose of attaching arm members and otheropenings.

20 may be formed along one side of the body for the purpose of receivinganimal leg members. It is to be understood that the position of theopenings or bores may be varied considerably for various purposes.

The openings or bores 14, 16, 18 and 20 are designed to receiveconnecting members of the type shown in Figure 9, which we have referredto as ball-pin members. Each of these connecting members includes atapered pin portion 22 adapted to be received in one of the openings orbores and a ball member 24 preferably connected to the pin portion 22 bya reduced neck 26.

If desired the pins 22 may be pern'ianently located in the selectedopenings or bores by the use of glue or they may be removably mounted.In either event the ball portions 24 project a slight distance beyondthe surface of the body member and are adapted to receive and supportother members as hereinafter described.

A plurality of head members may be employed and we have here shown ahuman or doll head 28, an animal head 30, and a bird head 32.

Each of the heads is formed in its lower portion with an opening 34 toreceive the ball 24 of the ball-pin connecting member which may bemounted in the upper bore 14 of the body member. It is obvious that whena head 28, or 32 is mounted on one of the ball connecting members, orotherwise as hereinafter described it may be adjusted to any desiredangle relative to said member which will thus constitute the neck of thefigure.

lVe have also provided a plurality of snapon limb members which may beemployed for forming the arms, legs. necks and tails of various figuresto be produced.

Each of the limb members has a main portion 36 of cylindrical shapeformed at one end with a reduced neck 38 terminating in a ball 40.

At the other end each of the limb members is formed with a cylindricalend-opening socket 42. Each of the sockets 42 is also formed withside-opening notches 44 of somewhat less width than the diameter of thesocket and communicating with the socket from both sides of the limbmember. Each limb memher is further formed with a kerf 46 extendinginwardly a material distance from the innor end of the socket.

The ball 40 at one end of the limb member may be separably and niovablyreceived within the socket 42 of another limb member whereby a pluralityof limb members may be connected in series.

The peculiar construction of the socket provides a resilence so that thesocket will grip a ball 40'and yet permit relative movement of the twolimb members so that they may be adjusted to any desired position. Thefrictional contact between the ball and socket of the limb members willcause the members to remain in any position to which they may beadjusted. The kerf 46 has the function of permitting a slight spreadingof the socket end of the wooden limb member as indicated by the dottedlines in Figure 10. It will he noted that the diameter of the ball 40 isslightly greater than the normal diameter of the socket 42.

This resilient gripping effect produced particularly by the kcrf 4G isvery important in the successful use of our toy builders. It will benoted further that the side opening notches 44 are capable of receivingthe neck portions 38 so that when a ball 40 is inserted 1n a socket 42,the connected limb members may be adjusted to almost any indicatedangle, ranging from a slightangularity to substantially a perpendiculararrangement. This permits a wide variety of adjustment of the connectedlimb members in forming the desired shapes and figures.

The limb members such as 36 may be employed by connecting them to eachother in the desired number and they may be connected to the body membersuch as 12 by associating'the socket 42 of one of the limb members withthe ball 24 of a ball-pin connector suitably located on the body member.

The limb members 36 may be employed in any desired number for formingthe arms, legs, tails, necks, and horns or ears, of various figures tobe produced by means of our builder set.

It will be noted that the balls 24 of the ballpin connecting members,and the balls 40 of the limb members are of the same diameter so thatthe socketed ends of the limb members may be associated with the ballsof the ballpin connecting members. In like manner, any one of the heads28, 30, or 32 may be connected directly by means of its opening 34 withthe ball of a ball-pin connecting member, as shown in Figure 1, or oneor more limb members 36 may be interposed to form an elongated neck 3:.shown in Figure 2. j

The animal head 30 is formed with properly placed bores or openings 52to receiveball-pin connecting members to represent ears or horns. Itwill be understood that limb members 36 may be added to these ballpmconnecting members to produce elongated ears or horns.

WVe have also provided a number of feet members which preferably arecomposed of disks 48. Each disk is formed with an upwardly directedopening or bore 50 to receive frictionally a ball 40 of a limb member.The openings 50 preferably are located eccentrically of the disks whichthus afford stable means for supporting the toy figures in uprightposition.

It will be obvious that a great Variety of figures may be produced withthis builder set, and that the limbs of the figures may be caused toassume many different positions. In this way a great deal of interestingand amusing, as well as instructive, use may be had of a set embodyingour invention. This variety of use and of position of the, parts is madepossible in a large degree by the peculiar formation of the articulatedjoint between the respective limb members.

We claim as our invention:

1. A toy builder set comprising an elongated body member adapted to beused either in substantially upright or substantially horizontalposition, a plurality of head members selectivelyusable with said bodymember for forming'difi'erent figures, connecting members adapted to bemounted on the body member and each including a ball-shaped portion, anda plurality of limb members adapted to be arranged in series to formlimbs, tails or necks of varying length, each of said limb members beingformed at one end with a ball-shaped portion and at the other end with asocket adapted to receive the ball-shaped portion of a connecting memberor another limb member.

2. A toy builder set comprising an elongated body member adapted to beused either in substantially upright or substantially horizontalposition, a plurality of head members selectively usable with said bodymember for forming different figures, connecting members adapted to bemounted on the body member and each including a ball-shaped portion, anda plurality of limb members adapted to be arranged in series to formlimbs, tails or necks of varying length, each of said limb members beingformed at one end with a ball-shaped portion and at the other end with asocket adapted to receive the ballshaped portion of a connecting memberor another limb member, each head member be:

ing formed with an opening to receive the.

ball-shaped portion of a connecting member or a limb member.

3. A toy builder set comprising a body member, a head member, aplurality of c,onneeting members carried by the body member and eachformed with a ball-shaped portion, and a plurality of limb members eachformed at one end with a ball-shaped portion and at the other end with asocket adapted to frictionally and resiliently engage the ballshapedportion of another limb member or of one of said connecting members,whereby a series of said limb members may be connected to said bodymember and may be caused to assume various positions of relativeangularity throughout the series.

4. A toy builder set comprising a bodyand at the other end with asocket, said socket being of slightly less normal diameter than theball-shaped portions of the limb and connecting members, each limbmember being relative angularity throughout the series.

5. In a toy, a member formed with a reduced neck terminating in aball-shaped portion, and a coacting member formed with a socket ofsomewhat less normal diameter than said ball-shaped portion and beingformed with lateral openings, thelatter member being formed with a kerfextending inwardly from said socket to permit a spreading of the socket,whereby the socket may be caused to frictionally engage said ball-shapedportion and said members may be separably and movably connected.

6. In a toy, a member formed with a reduced neck terminating in aball-shaped portion, and a coacting member formed with a socket ofsomewhat less normal diameter than said ball-shaped portion and beingformed with lateral openings, the latter member being formed witha kerfextending inwardlyfrom said socket to permit a spreading of the socket,whereby the socket may be caused to frictionally engage said ball-shapedportion and said members may be separably and movably connected, thelateral openings of said socket being of sutficient width to receive thereduced neck of the other member so that the members may be adjusted atsubstantially right angles to each other while so connected.

0. E. MAIN. L. L. SMELSER.

